Fire and Ice 3: Mind of Stone
by HufflepuffDemon
Summary: An invisible creature has been roaming the forests near Camelot. It latches onto your brain and feeds off your energy. While Arthur, Merlin and the knights are out hunting, the creature finds them. What happens when Merlin is its next victim? *Third in the Fire and Ice Series*
1. Chapter 1

_Fire and Ice 3: Mind of Stone_

**AN: Hello! I told you I would upload soon! :p **

**Yes this is a sequel, I have already thought of 2 other sequels after this but I will warn you when the whole series is over. **

**If you're a new viewer, I would strongly advise you to read the two previous books. Thanks! **

**Enjoy! O_o**

Chapter 1

Merlin sighed as he, Arthur and the knights made their way through the forest.

"Merlin, I swear to god if you sigh one more time..." Arthur threatened. Some of the knights chuckled lightly.

It was a bright and breezy day in Camelot. Merlin's hand had healed and he was now perfectly capable of moving it so, unfortunately for him, he had been back to working for Arthur within two days.

Arthur had decided to go out hunting since it had been ages since they had done anything that he thought was _fun. _Merlin had strongly protested. Apart from almost dying, it was probably one of his most hated things.

"But it's so boring..." Merlin protested.

"That's because you don't even try. And you're not allowed to use magic." Arthur grinned when Merlin's face fell.

"Boring," Merlin complained in a sing song voice.

Arthur rolled his eyes and went back to his hunting. Suddenly, a twig snapped. Everyone looked round at Merlin who, even though he looked slightly guilty and a little too innocent, shook his head to indicate it wasn't him.

Arthur narrowed his eyes and looked through the bushy green trees.

The knights all aimed their crossbows at the edge of a small clearing and Merlin's magic was bubbling inside of him, ready to be used.

Arthur turned round to face his troops. He put his finger on his lips and walked forward, silently, his footsteps barely made a sound as the touched the ground. Hunter' skills.

Someone came running through the trees, panting. Two others followed one of them half carrying, half dragging another.

Arthur put down his crossbow and walked out into the clearing.

"Who are you?" He asked. The three conscious ones looked up at him in fear. However, the one in the other's arms didn't move a muscle.

"We won't hurt you. Promise." Arthur said carefully. If he said the wrong things he could scare them off.

The smaller of the two men looked up at Arthur with wide eyes. He looked about 16 or 17 years old.

"We... we were just..." The boy stumbled.

"Is your friend okay?"Arthur wondered pointing at the girl in the taller boys arms.

"We don't know..." He said quietly.

"Here's this is or... physician." Arthur said pointing to Merlin who smiled.

"Hello," Merlin grinned.

"He'll take a look at her... uh... if you don't mind." Arthur told them. "We'll camp here for the night. Go back to the horses and bring them here. Take Gwaine with you before he gets his hands on the two girls." Arthur told Elyan quietly. Elyan nodded and yanked Gwaine away from the group. Gwaine huffed but went anyway.

"Merlin how's the girl?"Arthur asked.

"I think she's got concussion. It's too hard to tell though, I only know the basics. She has a dislocated shoulder and a twisted ankle. We'll need to wait for her to wake up to see the rest." Merlin informed.

Arthur nodded and soon, Elyan and Gwaine appeared with the horses.

"Merlin," Arthur started but Merlin interrupted.

"Go get some firewood." Merlin mimicked putting on a high pitched 'Arthur' voice. The knights laughed and Merlin shuffled away from the clearing. Arthur rolled his eyes as he watched his servant leave.

Merlin went around picking up all the decent sticks he could find. Suddenly, a branch snapped and his eyes were drawn up. Nothing was there. Merlin continued collecting sticks but he was on high alert. His magic as tingling on his skin, just waiting in case something happened.

Another twig snapped and Merlin grew suspicious.

"Hello?" He asked aloud. No one answered. Merlin decided he had enough sticks and went back to the camp, constantly checking behind him. Nothing.

Arthur looked at him, concern passing over his face. Merlin shook his head telling his king not to ask. Arthur nodded but the concern didn't leave.

Merlin started a small fire in the middle and made tea. Stew.

"Stew's up," He called. Every came over to Merlin, hungrily. Their stomachs had been growling for ages.

_Snap! _

Merlin lifted his head and turned round someone was there again.

"Merlin?" Gwaine asked a little worried.

"It's just... nothing." Merlin sighed and turned round. That didn't stop the knights and Arthur worrying.

He dished out the rest of the stew, fairly big portions but making sure there was some for him, and they ate in silence. The bowls were empty within minutes, everyone's stomachs full.

"Let's get some rest." Arthur said. They all nodded.

The beds were lay out, Arthur ad the girl closest to the fire, the knights next around and Melin resting on a tree.

"I'll take the first watch." He offered.

"Wake me up when... you get... tired." Arthur yawned. Merlin nodded, chuckling slightly as Arthur fell asleep.

Merlin eyes kept darting back and forth. No one else had heard the snap before... maybe he was imagining things. He was tired after all.. Very... Very...

Soon enough Merlin was asleep. Thinking about sleeping had made him very tired. While he was sleeping, he did not notice the next 'snap', or the disturbance in the air... or the invisible creature latching onto his brain.

**I know the 'latching onto his brain' may sound a little weird but it will all make sense later! **

**ENJOY AND PLEASE REVIEW! :P**


	2. Chapter 2

_Fire and Ice 3: Mind of Stone_

**AN: Hi again. I'm going to be a little busy until about Sunday so I'm sorry if I don't post as frequently. It's my last week of school so I'm really busy getting things done. **

**Anyways, chapter 2 is up! **

Chapter 2

Dawn came quickly. The night had past very fast so Arthur woe really tired. He looked around and saw Merlin, slumped against a tree, his eyes closed and his breathing heavy. Great. He was asleep.

"Merlin!" Arthur yelled angrily, he wouldn't be surprised if all their goods had been taken. Usually, Merlin would've woken at that but he didn't. Arthur sighed. He must've been really tired.

"Merlin!" Arthur called again, loud enough to wake some of the knights. Merlin still didn't wake and this was worrying. Arthur hurried over to his friend and shoo him violently. Merlin still didn't wake.

He was breathing because Arthur could hear and see his chest rise and fall. So why wasn't he waking up?

Some of the knights gathered round.

"He's not waking up." Arthur informed them. The knights shared worried looks.

"We need to get him back to the castle." One of the knights said. Arthur nodded but just at that moment, Merlin began to wake up.

"Merlin?!" Arthur exclaimed. Merlin shuffled up the tree slightly.

"Wha..." He slurred. Merlin felt completely exhausted. Like all of his energy had been drained from him.

"Why on earth weren't you waking up?" Arthur asked loudly.

"I was... asleep?" Merlin gathered all the information he could.

"Yes you idiot!" Arthur yelled.

Merlin winced and squinted his eyes trying to remember what had happened. Yes he was on watch... then he had felt... tired? And he fell asleep.

"Oh." Merlin replied. He got up and his legs immediately felt weak. He grabbed the tree for support but smiled at Arthur's confused face, reassuring the king he was okay.

The young girl had still not woken up so Arthur decided to take her and her friends to Camelot until they were better.

Arthur, the knights, Merlin and the four teen headed back to Camelot.

_MERLIN_

During the ride, Merlin's eyes kept almost closing, one time they actually di and he almost fell off his horse! He forced them open though.

"MERLIN KEEP UP!" Arthur yelled from the front. Merlin yawned. Why was he so tired?

Merlin's horse sped up to a trot but as soon as he caught up, slowed down again.

Soon enough, the castle started to peek through the thick bush of trees above them. The 3 teens gasped at the beauty of it.

The horses' hooves clicked on the stone floor as they walked through the streets of Camelot. People greeted them with 'hellos', some bowed and some smiled. Arthur smiled back at his people who were all so caring for him and his kingdom.

Gwen met them when they reached the castle. She ran to Arthur and pulled him into a comforting hug.

Arthur grinned at his wife. They had barely been gone 2 days and she was worried.

"You're back!" She cried happily.

"We weren't gone _that _long!" Arthur smiled kissing her forehead. Merlin was just climbing down from his hose but his exhaustion got the best of him and he fell onto the ground making everyone turn to look at him.

"Merlin are you okay?" Gwen asked kindly.

"I... I'm fine I was just... uh getting... down... from my horse." Merlin said slightly confused. Arthur snorted.

"Yes Merlin. That's what we do to get down from horses. Very graceful." Gwen laughed slightly but came over and helped Merlin up.

"Thanks," He smiled at Gwen who hugged him.

They went inside the castle and Arthur called a meeting.

It was an hour later that the knights, Merlin, Gwen and Arthur were sitting at the round table, full of things to say.

"First of all, I would like to see to these kids. The girl is with Gaius at the moment so we'll see what happened to them after he's checked her up." Arthur started. Merlin was slowly dosing off. His energy lowering by the second. He could barely keep his eyes open even though he was trying his hardest.

"Merlin," Arthur snapped. "It would help if you paid attention!"

"Sorry..." Merlin mumbled. Arthur looked at his servant. He looked like all of his energy and enthusiasm had been drained out of him.

"So as I was saying," Arthur continued, checking his friend ever so often.

Merlin was wondering why Arthur was slurring all his words together. He could make out something like, "Sendpatrolbordertomrrow..." It was all too confusing and he really wanted to sleep.

"Merlin!" The king sighed again. Merlin blinked and looked up at Arthur, the blonde and peach swirling in his vision.

And suddenly, everything went black.

**I know the middle bit isn't very good but the start and the end of this chapter wasn't too bad. I just wanted o give you guys something so you're not waiting too long!**

**Bye! x**


	3. Chapter 3

_Fire and Ice 3: Mind of Stone_

**AN: I know this chapter will be short. I may or may not post a chapter tonight but I hope the shortness is okay. I don't think anything interesting will happen, it's just a fill in chapter but I hope you like it!**

**SCHOOL IS OVER FOR 6 WEEKS! ENJOY THE REST OF MY CHAPTER AND NEW STORIES! O.O**

Chapter 3

Arthur picked up the unconscious boy with barley any effort at all. To be honest, he wasn't surprised Merlin had collapsed. The dark circles under his eyes were growing darker by the day and he had less energy. But Merlin hadn't been sick. He hadn't told Arthur he had needed the day off. He hadn't been doing anything too tiring lately Arthur didn't have a clue what was going on.

And that's what he told Gaius when he arrived in the physician's chambers carrying Merlin.

"When did he fall unconscious?" Gaius asked thoughtfully. Arthur told him about the meeting and how Merlin had been very don lately and how he didn't seem to have any energy.

"Okay." Gaius said. His mind was racing with 1000 possible things that Mein could be infected with.

"Sire, if I may ask you to leave." Gaius said politely. Arthur nodded, took one last look at Merlin and left the room leaving Gaius in silence.

_MERLIN_

"Arthur?" Gwen asked. Her husband had been somewhere else all day. Lost in his thoughts.

"What if I'm working him too hard?" Arthur asked, looking into Gwen's eyes. Gwen saw the pain. Arthur was very good at hiding his emotions. _Very _good, usually se could tell what he was feeling but it took some time. He must be in a lot of pain if she could see straight away.

"Arthur. I told you, you're not working Merlin too hard, you've been working him like you were before and he didn't collapse then." Gwen assured him. Arthur nodded, still a little sadly.

"Arthur. Why don't you give him a new position? Instead of your personal servant, how about personal advisor?" Gwen offered. Arthur nodded thoughtfully. That wasn't such a bad idea.

"Okay. I'll just do that... when he wakes up." Arthur said smiling a little.

"Great," Gwen grinned. Arthur kissed her but pulled away, having to go to training.

_MERLIN_

Merlin woke once again. His mind was swirling but, as usual he felt exhausted.

"Merlin!" Gaius said from a book he was reading. It looked old and was slightly dusty but it had, what Merlin recognised as Druid markings engraved in the cover.

"Gaius?" Merlin croaked.

"How are you?" Gaius asked concerned.

"Tired." Merlin replied.

Gaius nodded and went back to his book.

"Merlin. We may have a problem..." Gaius said flipping through pages in his book.

Merlin didn't say anything.

"I fear that you are a victim of the Banshee." Gaius said.

"The Banshee?" Merlin asked confused.

"The Banshee is a demon. Dark magic. It is not born it's created, whoever created it want revenge." Gaius explained. They were both thinking of one person. The same person; Morgana.

"It feeds off your energy until... until you die... that's why you're feeling tired all the time." Gaius said softly. Merlin stared at his feet. He didn't want to meet the sympathetic eyes of Gaius but he didn't want to act all brave because he wasn't he was terrified.

"Merlin." Gaius looked at his ward, concerned. "There is one was you won't die."

"What is it?" Merlin asked looking hopeful.

"It's not as easy as it sounds..." Gaius murmured.

Merlin stared at him.

"You need to kill the Banshee."

**So I'd seen the 'Banshee' in other stories and Iooked it up and it came up with phantom, spirit etc. So I decided to use it seeing as its not copying and it fitted my story pretty well. **

**Bye!**


	4. Chapter 4

_Fire and Ice 3: Mind of Stone_

**AN: I'm so sorry this took so long but my laptop broke and the chapter deleted itself. I was so annoyed but I'm sorry about the wait! **

**I went to see The Fault in Our Stars today and I was crying buckets!**

**Here's chapter 4!**

Chapter 4

Arthur had been told about the Banshee. When he was a child, his father would tell him stories about the horrible creature of dark magic.

He also remembered his aunt being taken by the Banshee when he was young.

_She was laid on a table, with a younger version of Gaius. Arthur stood at the edge of the room, staring at his aunt with a worried face. _

"_Auntie?" He asked confused. _

"_Yes darling." His aunt's silky voice echoed throughout the room._

"_What's happening?" The nine year old asked. _

"_I'm leaving you Arthur." She told him softly. _

"_Why?" Arthur asked. _

"_Because I'm not well Arthur. I'm going to another pace and hopefully, I'll be healed." Arthur's aunty smiled. _

"_Will you be back?" Arthur asked. _

"_No. I don't think so. But I'll tell the healers about you." She told him. "I love you," _

"_I love you too!" _

_Her eyes closed and her shallow breathing turned into nothing. Arthur was guided out of the room by Gaius, to his father. _

"_Aunty went to another place." He said to Uther. _

"_She is getting healed." _

_Uther nodded sadly. _

"_Yes..." _

It was a memory he would never forget. Stored away in a corner of his mind.

He was now sitting in the library, with a book on his lap. Puddles of light shone through the windows and most of the shelves were dusty.

Arthur opened the book and flipped through the pages until he found the one he was looking for.

_The Banshee_

_The Banshee is a creature of dark magic. It is created by the most powerful sorcerers who most likely seek revenge. _

_It feasts of your energy, slowly and painfully until you die. The more powerful you are, the more painful it is. Your saddest memories become its food and it brings back the things that have haunted you in the past forcing you to remember. _

_It is very hard to destroy a Banshee because 1) it is invisible, 2) It's made of dark magic, 3) It does not stop until it has succeeded and 4) Not many people have that sort of power. _

_The people who are capable of destroying such a creature are: _

_Goddesses, _

_Warlocks,_

_Dragonlords,_

_Priestesses, _

_Powerful Sorcerers._

_If you are trying to kill it, do not leave it too long because the longer it is with the victim, the harder it is to summon it._

Arthur read over the page again and again. They needed to find someone to help Merlin. Hopefully, the creature hadn't been on him too long so it would be easier.

Arthur ran through the halls to Gaius' chambers.

"Gaius." Arthur said, rushing through the door. He stopped when he saw Sir Leon, Gaius and Gwaine huddled round the young girl who had been unconscious earlier.

Gaius turned round, slightly surprised. "My Lord?"

"I'll tell you later." Arthur said, placing the book o the table. Gaius took one look at the title and nodded understandingly.

"How is she?" Arthur asked. Gaius looked at the girl. She had long, black tangled hair and her eyes were a grey colour although they looked far too old for her age.

"Recovering. She says she had encountered a creature. She was injured and it took one of their friends. They were just playing a game and something got one of them. She says it got her too but her friends helped her. They managed to get her to a healer before any real damage was done and then they left, that's when they ran into you." Gaius explained.

Arthur nodded. "And Merlin?"

"Not so well I'm afraid. If he isn't healed soon, I fear to think what will happen. He's getting sicker by the minute. It's making his magic go crazy, making him lash out. He's in his room though so at the moment, no one's been hurt. His skin is burning and he's getting small burn marks on his arms." Gaius looked sad. Arthur took all this in.

"I think I can help. In the book, it said that only few can kill the Banshee. If we ask the girl, we might be able to find her healer. Did she say anything about magic?" Arthur asked.

"She said a very powerful sorcerer healed her." Gaius informed.

"Very well. We'll find out the location of this sorcerer and leave in the morning. The girl can stay in the castle until she is able to leave; also, could you invite her and her friends to the feast tonight?" Arthur asked.

"Of course," Gaius replied. Arthur nodded again and left the room. Gaius picked up the book that Arthur had brought and flicked through. He read the words carefully and sighed.

"Leon, Gwaine, why don't you take..." Gaius looked at the girl.

"Clara," She said quietly.

"Why don't you take Clara to her friends and give her something nice to wear. Clara, the king has asked that you and your friends dine with him tonight. I hope that you will be able to make it." Gaius said.

"I'd be honoured." Clara said politely.

"Come on, you will be wanting to see your friends. They've been worried about you." Gwaine told her.

"Yes..." Clara smiled. "Thank you Gaius for looking after me."

"That's quite alright." Gaius told her.

They three of them left the room leaving Gaius alone in silence. He decided to check on Merlin.

"Merlin?" Gaius asked, opening the door slightly.

"Gaius." Merlin whispered. It was clear he was in pain. You could see it in his features; his eyes were scrunched up, his lips pressed tight together. His voice was hoarse and a layer of sweat covered his face.

"Oh my boy." Gaius murmured. The sight was horrible.

Gaius quickly went to get a cold cloth, not that it would do much, to put on Merlin's forehead.

After sitting with Merlin for a while, Gaius left to get ready for the feast tonight.

_MERLIN_

Clara was ecstatic to see her friends unharmed. She had missed them so much and they were all she had now.

"How are you?" Quinn asked. Quinn was Clara's best friend, ad it had been that way since they were 6 years old.

"I'm fine. Gaius healed me." Clara told them.

"Are you sure? You look a bit pale." Luke said worriedly. Toby nodded.

"I'm fine." Clara insisted. Her friends let it go but kept glancing at her to check she was okay.

"We were all invited to dine with the king and queen tonight. I said that would be fine... I hope it is." Clara told her friends.

"Seriously? Oh my gosh! The _king?" _Quinn asked.

Clara nodded, grinning.

"We get fancy cloths too; Sir Leon went to get us dresses." Clara added.

As if on cue, Leon walked through the door, with Gwen following.

"Here are some dresses for you. I think Guinevere is going to help you." Leon said smiling. He bowed his head and left.

The 4 teens bowed immediately.

"Please," Gwen smiled. "There's no need for that, and before you call me My Lady, I prefer Gwen if you don't mind."

Clara and Quinn were shocked but the boys stepped forward holding their hands out.

"We owe you our lives. Your physician saved Clara; you've let us stay in the castle and asked us to dine with you. We are grateful." Luke said shaking Gwen's hand. Toby done the same.

"It's no problem. We couldn't just leave you now could we?" Gwen grinned. "Now, how about you get dressed for the meal tonight. I'll help you girls, you two," She said to the boys, "should find something in the wardrobe."

The boys nodded and went to the wardrobe.

"Which one would you like?" Gwen asked the girls spreading the dresses across the double bed.

"I...uh... I like the blue one." Quinn said quietly.

"O it'd look lovely on you. It would bring out your eyes." Gwen gushed. She handed the blue dress to Quinn who went to get changed.

"How about you Clara. Which one is your favourite?" Gwen asked.

"Um..." Clara walked over to the dresses. "I don't know. They're all so beautiful."

"Most of them used to be the Lady Morgana's. Until she turned evil." Gwen said, a little coldly.

Clara didn't say anything. She didn't know how to respond to that.

"I'm sorry." Gwen apologised. "I shouldn't bring such a sensitive subject up."

"It's fine. There's no need to apologise. It's not your fault she turned against you, sometimes people just can't help it." Clara said without thinking.

"Clara!" Quinn hissed.

"Sorry," Clara said sheepishly. "I shouldn't have said that."

"It's okay," Gwen chuckled. "You're very wise Clara."

Clara smiled at Gwen. "Now a dress," Gwen said, turning back to the selection of dresses.

"How about this one." Gwen held up a lilac coloured gown with tiny jewels sewn onto the cuffs and the collar.

"It's beautiful." Clara said taking the dress from Gwen.

"Go on, try it on!" Gwen smiled. Clara rushed away and Gwen turned to the boys.

"How are you two getting on?" She asked. The boys were dressed in two very fine shirts and trousers.

"Very handsome." Gwen admired.

Just then, Arthur came crashing through the door.

"Guinevere?" He asked. He had somehow gotten himself all tangled up in a shirt. Clara giggled.

"Arthur," Gwen said trying to hold back her own giggles.

"Help." Arthur whined.

Gwen laughed and went over t her husband. She pulled the shirt over his head and through the arm holes.

"There." She said.

"Thanks," Arthur mumbled. She kissed his cheek before pushing him out of the room. All 5 of them burst into laughter.

"I'm sorry about him..." Gwen giggled.

They all finished getting dressed before heading to the dining hall to eat.

_MERLIN_

The dining hall was lit by large torches that hung on the wall. All sorts of food had been laid on the table waiting to be eaten. It looked delicious.

Clara and her friends were seated on large wooden chairs, with proper china plates and metal knives and forks. It was way different from what they had at home.

"So Clara, are you feeling okay now?" Arthur asked.

"Yes thank you." Clara replied, politely.

"That's good." Arthur said, putting some bread in his mouth.

After a few hours of pointless chat, endless food and laugher, a guard came crashing through the door.

"What is it?" Arthur asked, rolling his eyes.

"Sorry to interrupt sir." The guard said. "It's Merlin."

Arthur stood up, his face one of worry. Two more guards brought in the servant who looked pretty peaceful, until he started lashing out. His magic went mad, sending things up in the air, and making food hit walls. Arthur had to duck to dodge a flying plate.

Merlin himself was pale and obviously in pain, the guards were struggling to hold him down.

"We can't waste anymore time. We leave now." Arthur ordered. The knights instantly left the room to prepare the horses.

"Gaius." Arthur said walking over to the older man.

"He only has a few days left Sire." Gaius said sadly.

"Let us come with you." Clara said. Arthur looked over at her and her friends.

"We know where the man is and we know the quickest possible route. Please. It's the least we can do." Clara offered.

"Very well. You better get ready." Arthur said.

Merlin was shaking, as if he was cold, but his skin was burning hot. He kept whimpering and groaning quietly.

"We'll save you Merlin. I know we will." Arthur could only hope his words were true.

**That was a very long chapter. Almost 2000 words! Well, you guys deserve it, for putting up with my lack of updating! **

**I hope you liked it! **

**Bye! x**


	5. Chapter 5

_Fire and Ice 3: Mind of Stone_

**I'm afraid this chapter won't be as long as the last one but hopefully, it'll be just as good.**

Chapter 5

The forest was quiet. The wind passed through the trees and leaves fell to the floor.

The only noise was the clicking of hooves as Arthur, the knights and the teens rode out into the woods. Merlin was laid on a horse that was tied to Arthur's; he had a rope around his middle to stop him falling off. Every now and then, sticks would go flying or branches would come off tree and it was becoming increasingly hard to ride.

Clara rode beside Arthur showing him and the knights what direction to go in. They would take sharp turns or go down steep hills but Arthur knew it was worth it.

"We've got about a day's journey ahead of us. We'll get there quicker if we rest." Clara said.

Arthur nodded hopping down from his horse, and leading it to a tree. He tied it up and done the same to Merlin's.

The rest of the knights and Clara's group of friends copied his actions and Gwaine went to collect wood for a fire.

Arthur pulled Merlin down from his horse, being careful not to hurt the boy in any way.

"I know this place. We'll take the quick route and we should be there by noon tomorrow." Clara assured him.

"Thank you," Arthur replied, smiling slightly.

They set out the beds and huddled around the fire, Merlin closest. Arthur made sure he was comfortable before settling down to sleep with Percival as watch.

"Ar...tur..." Merlin groaned.

"Merlin?" Arthur asked worriedly

"Thanks..." Merlin whispered.

"No problem. Get some sleep. I'll have you mucking out the horses in no time." Arthur said.

"Then... I'm... gonna... sleep... for... a little while... longer..." Merlin sighed and closed him eyes.

Arthur smiled down at his friend. He turned round and went to sleep.

_MERLIN_

The next morning, Merlin was worse. His one burning skin was nothing compared to the temperature it was now. It was burning hot. Like an actual fire.

His blue eyes, usually full of life were completely empty except for the pain and he hadn't any energy to move his limbs. The burn marks on his arms had gone black and dark brown and bruises were appearing all around them making his arms almost black.

He was trembling a lot now, and his magic was shooting out of him every few minutes. Clara had promised to get there as soon as possible but Arthur knew as soon as possible wasn't good enough.

"We're almost there. It's just over there." Clara pointed off into the distance where a lake lay, shimmering in the sun. Arthur squinted his eyes and saw a cave across the other side.

They got there as fast as their horses would take them. The water was unusually still, barely making any noise.

Once they reached the cave, Clara looked around. Nobody saw anything.

"Help! Please help us!" Clara yelled. Suddenly a man dressed in all white, appeared his face sombre. His eyes were old and dark grey.

"I need your help. Our friend is hurt and we can't heal him. It's the Banshee and we're don't think he has long left. Please help him." Clara told him. He nodded and motioned for the knights to bring him into the cave.

Inside was reasonable light for a cave. It was lit by torches that were hung all around. A small fire was set up in the middle and blankets had been laid around it. A rock that had a huge hole in it was used for keeping water, even though there was a lake right outside. Arthur guessed it was probably to save time. Also, a small pile of books sat near the door.

"Put him there." The man pointed to the blankets near the fire.

"Will you be able to save him?" Arthur asked.

"It depends." The man replied. He set to work, he opened a book and closed his eyes, one hand hovering over the book, one on Merlin's burning forehead.

"On what?" Arthur asked angrily.

The man didn't answer. He was muttering some words, most likely magic. Arthur watched as he opened his eyes which momentarily turned gold but within a second they were back to the greyish black they had been before.

"I'm afraid the Banshee has been with him a lot longer than I expected." The man said grimly.

"What does that mean?" Clara asked.

"It's going to be a lot harder and a lot more painful to get it off." The man told them. Arthur's face was pained.

"Do it." He commanded. Gwaine looked at him with wide eyes.

"Did you not hear him? A lot more painful!" Gwaine said incredulously.

"What other choice do we have?" Arthur said miserably. "We either leave him with the Banshee until he dies in a few days time, or we get it off him with yes, it will be painful, but at least he'll live."

"Is there any other way?" Gwaine asked the man.

"I'm afraid not." The sorcerer replied.

"Gwaine, it's better than him dying." Arthur told the knight who nodded sadly.

Arthur looked to the healer and nodded. The man pushed them out, needing some space.

All they could do now was wait.

**This chapter isn't too back actually. **

**I was just wondering, if you're reading this but not reviewing thanks but please, a review makes my day! Thank you so much to those who do review! :) **

**Bye!**


	6. Chapter 6

_Fire and Ice 3: Mind of Stone_

**AN: I'm not really sure what's going to happen in this chapter so just... enjoy what comes! It may or may not be the last one for this story and then the next story will be the last of the series. Don't worry though, I've got a few new stories planned. **

Chapter 6

The knights, Arthur and Clara's friends stood outside the cave. The water was calm and still, not a single ripple, that was until Gwaine started throwing stones in it

Merlin's body was growing weaker. Everyone saw it.

The man they had met was doing his best to heal Merlin but the Banshee was having none of it.

"What if he doesn't make it?" Elyan asked worriedly.

"He will." Arthur was determined. He would do whatever it takes to save Merlin.

"I hope so." Gwaine murmured, running a hand through his greasy, black hair.

"He will!" Arthur exclaimed making all the knights and Clara's group turn to him with wide eyes.

Arthur closed his eyes and let out a long, deep breath. The man came out of the cave, with a grin across his usually serious face.

"I need you to come in." He said. Arthur and the knights piled into the cave, leaving Clara, Quinn, Luke and Toby stuck in the doorway. Everyone was hoping for the best.

"What's happening?" Gwaine asked.

"The Banshee likes power. The more powerful you are, the more likely a victim. It seems this young man is a very powerful sorcerer indeed. Luckily for him, it has taken a long time for the Banshee to completely drain him of his energy so he has survived. Not many people have."

"So he won't die?" Arthur asked.

"No. He won't," The man replied. "Although, we do have a bit of a problem getting it off him."

"It will take some very powerful magic." The man told them.

"Do it!" Gwaine encouraged. The man nodded and stood above Merlin, his hands held out in front of him.

"Líesingum þes mann fram þes áglæccræft áglæca," He commanded, his voice growing louder and louder and his eyes going bright gold.

The knights watched in awe. Arthur readied his sword; the beast would appear any second now.

The man stopped speaking and there was a moment where everyone was silent. Nothing moved, until a small, invisible creature started running around, trying to hide.

"Andetta mec æalá unc," The man shouted, his eyes flashed gold and the once invisible creature popped into their sight. It was horrible.

It was a greyish brown colour with horrible black spots. It had large, pointy fangs, and huge, black eyes. It was a creature from a horror story. Its back was hunched and it was no bigger than the size of your head. It snarled at Arthur who had his sword pointed at it.

"You can't kill it with a normal sword." The man said. He glanced at the sword and whispered a spell. The sword began to glow. Bright white and orange, like it was burning. Arthur took this moment to swing his sword round, startling the creature. Its huge black eyes grew even wider and it squealed as the sword crashed into its chest

Merlin started to glow too. A light spread throughout his body, starting in the middle of his chest, round his heart. It grew wider and wider until the glow covered his whole body. Arthur watched worriedly, was this hurting him?

Suddenly, Merlin's eyes shot open and they were a bright gold, the quickly switched back to their normal blue and Merlin sat up. The light faded away.

"Merlin?"

Merlin turned his head in Arthur's direction, a huge grin spread across his face, his eyes lighting up.

"Hello." Merlin replied. Arthur grinned back and went to hug his friend. Very manly.

"Are you hurt?" Arthur asked.

"Nope," Merlin said honestly.

"Really?"

"Truly." Gwaine was next to go to his friend and then, Percival, Elyan and Leon, Clara and her friends stayed at the door.

"I see you're better," Merlin said, to Clara who nodded.

"Thanks to you and Gaius." Clara smiled.

"Well, it's good that you can walk again." Merlin said.

"Alright, we better go back to Camelot before anything horrible happens." Arthur told the group. "Thank you for taking care of Merlin," Arthur turned round but the man had disappeared.

"He does that." Clara interjected.

Arthur nodded to show he had heard her last comment. "And what about you?"

"Me?" Clara asked.

"Yes, you and your friends." Arthur said. "What will you do?"

"Um... I don't know. We'll survive." Clara smiled, looking at her 3 friends.

"If you wanted, I'm sure there's somewhere in Camelot for you to stay, after all, you saved Merlin's life and as much as I hate to admit it... I don't know what we'd do without him." Arthur looked at Merlin who was grinning.

"You wouldn't last a day." Merlin responded.

"I would so," Arthur retorted.

"I am a vital part in your life, without me... you'd sink into depression because I am such a lovable person, the world would be so boring." Merlin smirked.

"Boring? We'd be out celebrating!" Arthur joked.

"Yes, celebrating the amazing life I had... I'd have the biggest funeral Camelot has ever known." Merlin said seriously.

"Not bigger than mine."

"Loads bigger than yours."

"I am the king of Camelot!"

"And I'm your dearly loved servant. Face it Arthur. My funeral will be bigger _and _better than yours!"

"You wish."

"My wish will come true!"

"No it won't."

"It will so!"

"It won't."

"Will."

"Won't."

"I... uh... hate to break up your... whatever this is... but it's getting dark." Clara said a little confused.

"Yes. We should head back to Camelot." Arthur said he took a deep breath and straightened himself out.

Merlin rolled his eyes.

So they all headed back to Camelot in a happier mood than they had been in days. For that moment, everything was fine. No one was dying, no one was attacking Camelot; everything was perfect.

_MERLIN_

When they reached Camelot, Arthur, Merlin the knights and Clara and her friends dismounted and led their horses to the stables. The sun was high in the air, shining down on everything it could. It was a warm day with a gentle breeze. These were Merlin's favourite days.

"Merlin!" Gwen shouted from the castle. Seeing Merlin up and about made her smile.

"Hi Gwen," Merlin replied as she ran up and hugged him.

"How are you?" She asked.

"Absolutely fine," Merlin responded, grinning slightly.

"That's good. We were all so worried."

Arthur and Gwen hugged and Merlin went over to Gaius who held his arms out for his own hug.

"How are you my boy?" Gaius asked.

"I'm good. Healed." Merlin told him.

"Good. These last few days have been terrible." Gaius said. Merlin smirked slightly. Arthur said the world wouldn't be boring without him, apparently those last few days had been.

"Come on; let's get you something to eat." Gaius and Merlin headed inside the castle.

_MERLIN_

Later that evening, at a feast to celebrate their return, the king, queen knights and Merlin were all sat round a table full of food. Chicken, bread, golden goblets of wine, there was more than Merlin had ever imagined. Someone had come through and was juggling in the corner of the room and a quiet chatter filled the room.

"So Merlin. I have a list of chores for you to do." Arthur told his servant who groaned.

"Well, you're better now." Arthur said defensively.

"SIRE!" A shout from the door turned all heads.

"What is it?" Arthur asked.

"We're under attack!"

**Yes. I'm leaving it at that. Don't worry though, the next story will be out very soon! Promise. **

**I'd like to thank all those who have reviewed, once again, particularly HollyDawn and Lunatris262 for being constant reviewers! Even when my chapters sucked, they still wrote reviews! **

**And to those who read, thank you! It means a lot that you took your time to read my story.**

**Keep an eye out for the final story to this series! **

**Bye! x**


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